Puppy Love: Mend
by ijustwokeup
Summary: Sequel to Puppy Love: Veil. Two years has passed since Gohan's last encounter with Videl. Now he's forced to enroll high school as a Sophomore... with her. How will Gohan fix things between him and Videl?
1. Chapter 1

**Puppy Love: Mend**

**Ch. 1**

Disclaimer: Do not own.

**A/N:**

**Before you start reading:**

**Please be aware that this is a SEQUEL.**

If you're interested in what happened prior that ultimately leads to this story, visit my profile and read the prologue, Puppy Love: Veil.

Thanks!

* * *

"GOOOHAN!" A shriek filled the crisp morning air.

"Oh no… I'm done for," the half-Saiyan grumbled as the pit of his stomach dropped.

He had hoped he would get away with it again today. Ever since Goten reached his toddler age, the child had been such a hassle for ChiChi. A hassle that gave Gohan more opportunities to sneak out into the wilderness to, but what else, train. However, it seemed that the boy's luck had run out. His mother's rage was clear in her voice – a voice so loud and crisp that even the good civilians of Satan City could probably hear her just as well.

It had been two years since Gohan had visited that city. Two extensive years that seemed to drag longer than any other. The half-Saiyan actually went out of his way to evade stepping into that metropolis by buying groceries and running errands way over in West City.

Yes, Gohan had been deliberately avoiding Satan City for all of two years.

All because of a single girl.

If it were up to Gohan, if he had the power and foresight of knowing what was going to happen that night, he would've prevented it at all cost. Unfortunately, he had no idea that his disguise was going to run out at such a detrimental time in his life.

He thought his plan was going smoothly – considering it was poorly thought out and on a whim. The half-Saiyan was sure he had successfully eradicated his alias, Nos, from his and Videl's life. Which, he technically did. Just not the way he had intended.

o (o) (O) (o) o

"…G-Gohan?" stunned and baffled, Videl studied the boy standing in front of her.

The puff of pink smoke had dissipated, and Gohan was suddenly standing in place of Nos. What was more confusing was that the boy in front of her was wearing the same blue gi Nos was.

Videl trailed her eyes up from his over-sized pants and drooping tunic. Hesitantly, she asked as her brow wrinkled, "Wh-what the heck is going on?"

Gohan took a few steps backwards as he nervously brought his hands up in front of him. He stammered, "V-Videl, I-I can explain…"

"E-explain? Explain how Nos vanished? How you appeared here all of a sudden? Why you're wearing his clothes?" she frantically sputtered. Her voice then trailed as the befuddlement in her tone heightened, "Nos just – Then you suddenly – And now that – …When...? …You can't mean…?"

"I wanted to tell you…I really did," the half-Saiyan quietly spoke as he averted his gaze.

Videl glanced up at the boy, staring into his shifty eyes. Her own eyes narrowed as her mind jogged. She couldn't believe it. He was implying the very thing she was so desperately hoping wasn't the case. If it really were true – that Gohan was the very same man she had just confessed her feelings to – well, that meant that…

Blushing, Videl quietly brought her hand up and placed the tips of her fingers against her forehead, reminiscing back to the gentle kiss he had placed just moments ago.

Immediately, she shot her glaring eyes at the half-Saiyan. Continuing to cradle her forehead, she hissed, "You and Nos… you and Nos are the same, aren't you?"

Gohan meekly nodded. He felt like he wanted to shrink and hide inside a rat hole and never come back out.

"This whole time?"

The boy hesitantly glanced up to look at the pigtailed girl, and immediately regretted it. Her cerulean eyes desperately pleaded him to tell her this was all but a dream. That he wasn't playing an awful trick on her.

Her voice began to quiver, "At the tournament? At the… at the parlor too? The whole time… this entire time you were Nos?"

Gohan didn't know what else to do but nod once more.

At first, the boy panicked internally. He could tell by the look in Videl's eyes that she was livid. Who could blame her? He had been lying to her since the tournament. He watched her raise her hand with her palm stretched out. He had expected that to come sooner or later. The most the boy could do at that point was to stand there and take the hit. Something he felt that he deserved, anyhow.

Videl's arm swung downwards, and Gohan quickly shut his eyes in anticipation. However, the boy never felt her hand strike him.

Hesitantly, the half-Saiyan opened his eyes. Casting his glance off to the side of his head, he saw her hand frozen in place, her palm inches from his cheek. He looked back at Videl and was immediately taken aback by the despairing look on her face. The last thing Gohan ever wanted to do was make her cry. It made him want to take her hand and slap himself in the face as he watched watery droplets cradle within the crevices of her eyes.

"Videl, I –"

"No," she immediately countered, "get out."

Stunned, the boy stood frozen in place. Frustrated by his unmoving reaction, she screamed, "Get out! I don't ever want to see you again! Leave me alone and don't come back!"

Disheartened, Gohan took a few steps back before whispering, "I'm sorry." He then ran off without another word.

o (o) (O) (o) o

That was two years ago, the last time Gohan saw Videl. It was easier to forget about it now, since it's been so long.

The half-Saiyan kept himself busy by returning to his studies and taking care of his younger brother. Yes, things seemed to be back to normal now. Profusely studying when his mother checked up on him one minute, and sneaking out his bedroom window to train outside the next, it certainly felt like nothing had changed.

"SOON GOOHAN!" ChiChi cried out once more.

Nothing had changed – not one bit.

Hurriedly, Gohan regressed from his Super Saiyan transformation and bolted back home.

Already anticipating his return, ChiChi greeted him outside in front of the door. Her arms crossed, her face scowling, the half-Saiyan knew he was in trouble.

ChiChi hissed as her frown deepened, "That does it. I'm not letting you off the hook anymore."

"Wha –?" Gohan hardly thought his mother ever let him off the hook.

"You heard me. I've warned you plenty of times, right? Well, I'm through with it. Homeschooling you just leaves too many chances for you to slack off."

"M-Mom, you don't mean –"

"I'm sending you to public school."

Gohan's onyx eyes widened in disbelief. _'Oh no. She can't be serious…!'_

It was strange. The boy hadn't thought of the event that occurred two years ago until the moment his mother spewed the words 'public school'. If he were to end up at Satan City's high school… then it would be inevitable that he would encounter… **that** girl. Granted that it's been two years, he was sure that Videl had no intentions in forgiving him any time soon. If his mother was going to send him to public school, then he at least had to try and coerce her somehow to give him some leeway.

"If I have to go to public school, can I go to West High?" he meekly asked.

"Absolutely not! You and I both know that Orange Star High is the best rated school in the area! Plus, why would you want to go all the way to West City to attend school? Satan City is much closer to where we live. That's just unreasonable, even if you can fly."

"B-but, Mom, can't we at least talk about this?"

"You had your chance, Gohan. I've warned you plenty of times, haven't I?" ChiChi cocked an eyebrow. She then turned around and stepped inside.

Gohan couldn't believe it. He was going to attend school in Satan City – with Videl, no less. How did it turn out like this? It was ironic that he once gladly told the pigtailed girl he planned to attend school with her. He and her both wanted that.

But, now… now he was sure of it that Videl never wanted to see his face again. Not after the lies he fed her with.

Gohan was sure he was in Hell now.

The fact of the matter was, since that night he rescued Videl in that hostage situation, as much as he tried to forget about it all, Gohan felt differently about her than before. That night, she had confessed to Nos that she liked him. Although he knew that her feelings were for his disguise self, he couldn't help but fluster each time he reminisced back to that brief moment. The look she gave him, the timid sound of her voice, the sincerity behind her confession as a whole was engraved in Gohan's mind. It made him feel warm inside, it made his stomach flutter.

The half-Saiyan flushed in embarrassment each time he thought back to when he kissed her on the forehead. He wasn't sure why he had done it – it surprised him as much as it surprised Videl, probably. He knew she was only talking to Nos, but he couldn't help himself at the time. Oh, how he regretted ever laying his lips on her at that exact moment.

Now, two years later, he had to prepare to run into Videl after all that had happened.

o (o) (O) (o) o

As the week went by, the half-Saiyan attempted numerous times in talking his mother out of sending him to school in Satan City. He offered to run all of the errands for, to spend more time taking care of Goten, and even told her he'd swear off training from his lifestyle. However, ChiChi's decision was set in stone. She reasoned that she gave him enough warnings that she'd enroll him if he continued to misbehave. And no matter how many times Gohan tried to explain that the school in West City would be better suited for him, she wouldn't hear any of it.

By the end of the week, ChiChi had called Orange Star High to set up an appointment with the principal. It was a complete and utter defeat for Gohan. He would only need to take an entrance exam in order for the school to accept him as a transfer student. Of course, the boy thought about deliberately flunking the test; however he also knew that his mother was aware of his academic capabilities. There was no way that he could fail an entrance exam and not seem overtly suspicious. Not to mention the fact he would have to deal with her fit of raging anger later.

Was there really no way out of this situation? It seemed so.

'_Maybe high school won't be so bad, after all. Maybe Videl and I will have completely opposite schedules, and we won't even see each other down the halls. Maybe Videl even forgot all about me!'_ Gohan tried to helplessly reason to himself. Yet, he couldn't shake the little voice out of his head that kept echoing, 'Yeah right'.

The boy was scheduled to take his entrance exam in a few days. He decided that he would have to grit his teeth and bear it. It wasn't like he had the luxury to refuse to take the test. Not with a mother like ChiChi.

And so he did. The time finally came to pay a visit to Orange Star High and Gohan was a bundle of nerves. He figured if he were careful, he could avoid bumping into Videl there. Yet the thought of it alone caused a chill to run up his spine in the pool of anxiety he was drowning in. If only he could somehow disguise himself at school so no one would recognize him. But then again, that's what got him into this whole mess with the pigtailed girl in the first place.

The entrance exam was a breeze just as he anticipated. He was sure he was going to pass with flying colors – something ChiChi whole-heartedly expected without a doubt. After handing in his exam to the administration desk, Gohan stepped out of the building with a defeated sigh.

"Hey!" the voice of a girl suddenly called out.

Hesitantly, the half-Saiyan turned around.

He was relieved to see someone else than a certain raven-haired girl; however, the familiar face standing in front of him still left him at unease. Yes, he remembered. That girl was a friend of Videl, the last time he could recall. He met her once or twice, the short-haired blonde. But what was her name again?

"You look real familiar," she studied him intently. In a flash, her blue eyes beamed, "Oh! Aren't you a friend of Satan Videl?"

Friend? Sure.

"U-um, hi. I recognize you. You're, uh, you're her friend, right?" Gohan meekly replied, avoiding a direct answer to her question.

"Videl's? Yeah, we're like two peas in a pod!" she giggled, "I'm Erasa, in case you forgot. You're… – wow, gosh, your name's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't quite remember!"

"G-Gohan," he practically whispered.

Happy to finally remember, she burst out, "**Gohan!** That's right!" If it weren't for Erasa's bubbly and care-free aloofness, she'd have probably noticed the boy nervously jump in place as she loudly pronounced his name. "It's been a while. How you been? What are you doing here coming out of the administration building? Are you transferring?"

'_There's no use in hiding it, right?'_ Gohan reasoned to himself.

"Y-yeah, I am. Well, I took the entrance exam," he quietly answered.

"No kidding! I hope you pass – that exam is hard! I'm sure you will, though. You seem like the smart-type," Erasa's mouth continued to run.

With a sheepish laugh, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, th-thanks." Gohan then looked left and right, scanning his eyes around him. He lowered his voice and asked, "Um, speaking of Videl, though. Is she… is she around?"

"Yeah! She's on the way right now to meet me here. We're gonna go to the library together. Why don't you stick around and say hi? I'm sure she'd be happy to see you, it's been so long."

Gohan immediately shoved his hands up in front of him as he took a few steps back. Voice cracking, he quickly stammered, "A-ah, n-no, I can't. Ihavetogosorry!" Without another moment to lose, the half-Saiyan dashed out of sight.

Watching the boy vanish from her line of sight, Erasa commented to herself in befuddlement, "Wow. That was kind of weird."

"What was?"

The blonde turned around to see who was speaking to her.

"Oh, Videl! You just missed him."

"Who?" the pigtailed girl asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"You're never gonna guess," Erasa grinned as a glimmer shown in her eyes.

o (o) (O) (o) o

As expected, Gohan passed the entrance exam with a perfect score. After another visit or two at the school in order to sign papers and discuss his future at Orange Star High, it was finally time for the half-Saiyan to make his debut.

Landing a few streets away from the school's entrance, Gohan walked down the path, following the other students who wore identical badges indicating that they were student of O.S. High.

As he walked through the school gates, the half-Saiyan peered down at the school badge pinned to his white mandarin-style shirt. He was an O.S. student now – a Sophomore. Aside from the academics he would be studying, he had no idea what he was in for. He just hoped that his run-ins with Videl would be kept to a minimum.

Gohan looked back up from his badge and trained his eyes on the building's entrance. Students were hurrying into the school in an attempt to make it to class before the bell rang. As his eyes darted back and forth, watching them walk inside, he suddenly cut his own breath short.

'_Uh-oh.'_

His eyes met hers.

Gohan expected he would spot Videl sooner or later, but he was counting on the latter. Never did he think he'd encounter her to moment he walked onto the school grounds.

'_What do I do, what do I do?'_ he panicked. His eyes were locked onto hers, and it was hard for him to read her stoic expression.

However, his uneasiness and anxious demeanor was answered when Videl swung her whole body around and quickly walked inside the school building without a second glance.

'_Was… was that good or bad…?'_ Gohan couldn't help but ask himself. Did she not recognize him? He wasn't sure. It was a possibility since Videl **was** the type to confront others – at least from what he remembered of her two years ago. Yet she merely glanced at him and walked off.

_DING… DING… DING… DING…_

"Uh-oh, the first bell! I better hurry up and get to class." Frantic, Gohan rushed inside.

Weaving through the crowds of students, the half-Saiyan searched for the room number to his classroom. Finally able to spot it, he watched as a few students entered the room. As the door shut behind them, Gohan took a deep breath.

"Guess this is it," he said to himself before he opened the door and walked inside.

"Alright, folks, settle down!" Immediately, the teacher's voice rang through the boy's ears. Gohan looked up at the class and scanned his eyes across the students sitting down. Noticing him, the teacher spoke up, "Oh! You're the new student, aren't you?"

Turning to him, Gohan replied, "Y-yes, I am. I'm Son Gohan."

"Great. Let me introduce you real quick and then you can seat yourself." The teacher then turned his attention to the rest of the students and announced, "Before we begin, let me have your attention. We have a new student here today, and his name is Son Gohan. Please give him a warm welcome, and help him with anything he might need. It's a big school, and you all know how hard it was to get around at first, considering you are all Sophomores now. You all can learn from this man here as much as he can learn from you. Gohan managed to ace the entrance exam without a single red mark. Amazing, isn't it?" An awkward silence filled the air as the teacher paused. It was as if he was waiting for some kind of response from his students about Gohan's success, yet no one had a single comment to make.

"Um, it's nice to meet you all," the half-Saiyan meekly waved. As he stared up at the bunch, he noticed that a certain pigtailed girl was not in this class. A wave of relief hit him as his shoulders slumped. He then caught eye of Erasa, the girl who he had bumped into on the day of his exam, the girl who he remembered as Videl's friend. His glance was quickly greeted with a small wave on her end.

"You may take a seat wherever you'd like, Gohan," the teacher pointed towards the desks.

Immediately, Erasa beckoned him to sit in the empty seat next to her. As if he didn't have a choice, Gohan complied and took a seat next to her.

"Hi, Gohan! Wow, I can't believe we're in the same class together. I knew you'd be able to pass that test," Erasa excitedly remarked.

"Y-yeah," was all he managed to reply.

Class commenced, and the teacher babbled on with his lecture. Gohan peeked over at Erasa and noticed her uncaring demeanor. Her back was slumped with her rear practically off the chair, her neck craned all the way back so that her head dangled off the back support.

"Shouldn't you at least **look** like you're paying attention?" Gohan whispered.

Slowly, she bobbed her head forward and glanced over at the half-Saiyan. Rolling her eyes, she retorted, "Yeah right. That old man can barely read the text from the book he's holding. He's almost as blind as a bat. Besides, class is just so boring without Videl here."

"V-V-Videl?" stammering, Gohan's voice practically cracked.

"Yeah. She's in this class too. But she's not here today for some reason," Erasa looked up at the ceiling in thought. She then smiled, "Oh, she probably got a call from the chief."

"The chief?" he asked questionably.

"She fights crime, you know," Erasa beamed with pride. "She's the best crime fighter out there in Satan City – better than the police! So they always call her and ask for her help. Crazy isn't it?"

'_Fight crime? Is that why? I can't shake the feeling that I'm the reason she's not here…'_

Regardless, Gohan was impressed.

Just two years ago, the Videl he knew didn't have it in her to fight against hardened criminals. She was helpless against that petty purse-snatcher the day he met her; and she was even more helpless against that gang that took her hostage – even the prior attempt when they **tried** to take her. How was it that the pigtailed girl was capable of being the best crime fighter in Satan City within a mere two years?

"Videl's crazy, going out there alone," a man's voice chimed in. Gohan peered over and glanced at the blonde male sitting two seats away from Erasa. His hair was long and silky, and his arms indicated that he certainly wasn't a newbie in athletics.

"She's fine out there, Sharpner. You've seen her compete in tournaments before. She can handle all those baddies all by herself!" Erasa winked. She then turned to Gohan. "By the way, this is Sharpner. He's a bit of a muscle-head, but he's OK, I guess," she joked.

"I'm the captain of the boxing club. If you're interested in joining, let me know. Although I'm sure your books keep you a little too busy for sports," the blonde boy presumptuously introduced himself.

"Th-thanks for the offer, but I'm not sure I can join any clubs," Gohan ignored his ending comment.

"Figures. You probably don't know much about sports or fighting, do you?"

"W-well, I –"

Gohan cut himself off when he suddenly felt a familiar Ki. He peered down to the front of the class and trained his eyes on the door, anticipating for it to open.

On cue, the door swung open and a raven-haired girl popped in.

"Sorry I'm late, sir," she quickly apologized with a slight bow towards the teacher.

"It's quite alright, Videl. I already know of your circumstance, so why don't you take your seat."

"Thanks," Videl replied. She trudged up the stairs towards her desk with her head hanging, her mind drifting off in another world.

Smiling, Erasa quietly called out to her as she stepped closer, "Had to put away another criminal?"

Videl looked up at the recognition of her friend's voice and replied, "No, not particularly –"

And then, she froze.

Her eyes were glued on the boy sitting in front of her. His spikey hair, his onyx eyes, his nervous composure…

"Gohan…" her lips parted as she coarsely whispered his name.

* * *

End, chapter 1.

A/N: And so the beginning begins once more! Hope you all enjoyed reading. And I hope this is a good start to Gohan and Videl's rocky relationship! :P

Just FYI, Gohan still has Cell saga hair (for now).

I started my summer semester this week *whimpers* Luckily, it's a short summer session – about 7 weeks. But alas, I'm stuck in the hell hole called university until then. (Swear I thought I had a longer break than this!) Oh well. I'll still try to update frequently!

I appreciate comments and criticisms, and as always, suggestions.


	2. Chapter 2

**Puppy Love: Mend**

**Ch. 2**

Disclaimer: Do not own.

* * *

Their eyes had locked on one another during that brief encounter. She took a moment to re-familiarize herself with those onyx eyes of his. It was almost unreal, spotting him just past the gates of Orange Star High. And her school's badge was pinned onto his shirt, clear as day.

Son Gohan was attending the same school as her now. The very idea was almost paralyzing. No in fact, Videl **did** feel paralyzed. Laying her cerulean eyes on him, her body went stiff and she couldn't move. It wasn't until she heard a group of students boisterously chattering behind her did she finally snap out of it. And as quick as she snapped out of it, she immediately turned her heels and walked into the school.

However, heading straight to class was the last thing on her mind. She was grateful her school allowed such leniency upon her attendance. She was allied with the Satan police now, and that meant that anytime they requested her help, there was nothing stopping her from going. It was on days like these did Videl really appreciate being able to take a moment or two for herself before heading to class.

There was no doubt about it. It was him. Son Gohan.

Videl's mind immediately flashed back to their last encounter with each other. How he suddenly appeared at her house. How she discovered he was in fact Nos. How her emotions were filled with rage and despair. And how she couldn't bear to look at him anymore, screaming at him to leave. To never see each other again.

How dare he show his face before her now.

Videl let out a quiet sigh as she gazed past the ledge of the school's roof. Her eyes narrowed as they stared past the vast sky, threatened and confused. She had to face the facts. Gohan was definitely enrolled at her school now and there was nothing she could refute about it. She could only hope that he wouldn't be bumping into her as frequently as he had before she found out about his lies two years back.

'_There's no use in getting all worked up about this, right? Erasa even told me she saw Gohan a few days ago. I didn't want to believe it, but it looks like she was right,'_ she tried to contain her emotions. _'Might as well go to class.'_

Videl stepped off the roof and headed down the stairs. As she reached her classroom she let out a heavy sigh.

"Sorry I'm late, sir," she swung the door open with a slight bow towards the teacher.

"It's quite alright, Videl. I already know of your circumstance, so why don't you take your seat," her teacher replied.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she slowly advanced up the stairs to her desk.

"Had to put away another criminal?" Erasa's voice broke her thoughts.

"No, not particularly –" Videl cut herself short.

Her eyes set on the boy sitting in front her her.

"Gohan…"

"H-hi, Videl," the half-Saiyan quietly replied.

"See, Videl? What did I tell ya? Told you Gohan was coming to school with us!" Erasa gleamed. It was a rare moment for her to be able to gloat to her friend that she was for once right about something.

Gohan cringed as he waited for Videl to say something. Anything. He watched her dagger-like eyes dart from his hair to his eyes, his clothes, and to the badge on his shirt.

"Guess you were right," Videl muttered before she took her seat and plopped herself down, not giving him even a second glance.

Erasa shot Videl a baffled look. Staring at her, to Gohan, and then to her again. She nudged herself closer to her crime fighting friend and lowered her voice. "Hey, Videl, what's up? I thought you'd be excited to see Gohan again."

"Excitement is relative," she merely replied, which Erasa greeted with an even more baffled stare. Whether it was because her friend didn't understand what she meant, or she knew and disapproved of her attitude was not Videl's concern at that point.

There was absolutely no interaction between Gohan and Videl during class. Although Gohan managed to peek over a few times at the girl, she was rather ignorant of his presence. It was clear to him that that was her intention.

'_Oh, boy. This is gonna be tough. Why did you have to do this to me, Mom?'_ Gohan cursed under his breath as he glanced over at Videl once more. _'I guess I should talk to her. If she'll let me, that is…'_

The school bell rang, and Gohan's first class was over. He watched Videl from the corner of his eye. She stood up from her seat and began to gather her belongings. Just as she was turning around to walk out of the classroom, Gohan managed to find his voice.

"V-Videl?"

She stopped in her tracks. Slowly, she turned her head just enough so that the half-Saiyan could get a glimpse of the tip of her nose.

"U-um, I was wondering. If you're not busy right now, could we talk?" Gohan swallowed hard as he tried to stop the trembling in his hands.

Seconds felt like minutes to the boy and he was slowly beginning to think she didn't hear him. As he cleared his throat to repeat himself, Videl spoke up. "Sorry. I'm busy."

Stunned by her blatant rejection, Gohan silently watched her walk down the stairs and out the door.

"Oh, bummer!" Erasa's voice broke his trance. "She totally just put you down."

"Y-yeah…" he softly agreed.

"What's up with you two? I thought you were Videl's friend?"

"Yeah. I **was**…"

"Chin up, new kid," Sharpner chimed in. "There's more fish in the sea than her, anyway. Plus, she's pretty popular with the guys. Even I barely have a chance with her."

"Yeah. Hey, Gohan, did you know that Videl's dad is Mr. Satan?" Erasa asked, "Add that to the mix and that'll make it a whole lot tougher to go out on a date with her, you know."

"D-date? N-no! I wasn't trying to ask her out on a date!" Gohan immediately countered.

"You don't have to be shy about it. You're not the only one," Sharpner sighed. Clearly he had been shot down by Videl before. "Videl's one of a kind, you know. She's not the clingy type like most girls. She knows how to take care of herself. If you get on her bad side, well, I'd feel sorry for you."

'_Looks like I'm already heading down that road,'_ Gohan sighed to himself.

o (o) (O) (o) o

Lunch break finally came around for the half-Saiyan. It was a rare occasion that Gohan didn't feel the least bit hungry. Instead of heading to the cafeteria like the other students, he decided to use his break to get to know his new school.

Gohan walked up and down the hallways, figuring out where everything was. He eventually turned a corner and looked down the hallway, reading a sign above a large door labeled, 'Gymnasium'.

"Oh, so P.E. will be here, huh?" he said to himself as he walked up to the door.

He peered into the little window of the door and noticed it was more than just a basketball court. There was even a designated area for weight lifting and cardio work. Even a punching bag hung from the ceiling.

"Wait… someone's over there," the boy narrowed his eyes, focusing on the person standing by the punching bag. He watched the bag swing around on its chain, waiting to see the face of the person punching it. "Videl?" His eyes widened a bit as he watched a pair of pigtails bounce around. Yup, it was definitely her. Gohan quietly stood by the door and watched her through the window as she continued to jab at the bag of sand.

'_Wow, I'm impressed! Videl's pretty good. Definitely didn't expect to see her improve this much in two years. Guess Erasa and Sharpner weren't kidding about her being a crime fighter now.'_

The half-Saiyan continued to study Videl's movements. Each punch she delivered to the bag was straight and clean. Each kick flawlessly connected to the bag, causing it to swing crazily.

After a few minutes, Videl finally brought her fists down. She took a deep breath and reached over for a towel. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and nose before she had a funny feeling she was being watched. Slowly, she glanced up from her towel over to the door and locked eyes onto Gohan's.

'_Eep!'_ The boy quickly retracted from the window and took a few steps back. He could still see her and she could still see him behind that door. _'Crap, she spotted me.'_ Gohan quickly turned around and ran off.

o (o) (O) (o) o

Videl watched the boy dart away from the door. Was he spying on her? What was he doing there? Her blue eyes narrowed as her emotions began to take over. She could feel her legs were beginning to give out from underneath her. Slowly, she let herself plop down onto the gymnasium floor, wrapping her towel around her neck.

'_That damn Gohan.'_ She pounded her fist against the floor. _'Why did he have to come to school here? The last thing I wanted was to see him. Didn't he understand that when I said I never wanted to see him again, I meant it? Is this some cruel prank he's pulling on me?'_ Rage began to boil inside of her as she slammed her fist down once more.

"I hate him," she hoarsely whispered. Quickly she stood up on her two feet. Her teeth grinded against each other as her brow furrowed even deeper. "I hate him!" she cried out as she threw a forceful right hook at the punching bag. As the chain rattled and the bag aimlessly swung around, Videl huffed and puffed, her eyes staring into nothingness. The sound of leather tearing apart caused her to fixate her eyes onto the punching bag. She watched as the seams ripped apart and pounds of sand poured onto the floor.

"God damnit!" she fumed through gritted teeth. She was livid. Especially now that she could feel her eyes were damp with tears.

'_I trusted him… I trusted him and he betrayed me! I don't care if it was two years ago. He did something unforgivable. How could he play me like that? How dare he pretend to be someone else and befriend me like that? Nos was… Nos… was…'_ Videl had a hard time finishing her own thoughts. She fought hard against the tears that were threatening to stream down her face.

Nos was someone special to her. She didn't care he was older, she cared that he had protected her. Saved her life. But then when Gohan revealed to her that he was Nos, all of that went out the window. Sure, it was Gohan who really saved her, but he tricked her into thinking Nos was a completely different person. Every feeling she possessed about that mysterious red-haired man was all fabricated because of him.

On top of it all, Gohan heard her confess her feelings to Nos. She was confessing to Gohan all along.

"I'll make him pay for humiliating me like that," she sneered.

o (o) (O) (o) o

Gohan managed to find the table Erasa and Sharpner were sitting at in the cafeteria and plopped himself down.

"Why the long face?" Sharpner asked.

"Nothing."

"I bet you're still thinking about Videl, aren't you?" Erasa gave him a wily grin.

Gohan paused for a moment. He then asked Erasa, "You're good friends with Videl, right? How did she become such a good fighter? She wasn't this strong two years ago."

"You don't know?" Erasa asked in shock.

Surprised by her reply, he asked, "Am I supposed to?"

"Well given the circumstances now, I guess not. But I thought you and Videl were still friends before today. I figured you'd at least know why she decided to train so hard."

Gohan quickly looked over at Sharpner for some type of confirmation. The blonde boy merely shrugged.

"I mean, I don't know if I should tell you, but I guess I have no choice now," Erasa continued. "Videl improved so much in martial arts because of you, Gohan."

"Huh?" His eyes widened in befuddlement.

"Well, I think she did. I'm pretty sure she did…"

"What are you talking about, Erasa? Videl trains hard because of her pops, obviously. He's the strongest man on Earth! Of course she would follow his steps," Sharpner quickly rebutted.

"Sure, there's that… but she's always had that goal ever since she was little – to be strong like her dad. But I remember back in junior high, she told me something." Erasa trained her eyes on her food as she reminisced. "She was practicing martial arts when I came over one day, and she wouldn't take a break. For hours, she trained non-stop. I tried to make her rest, but she refused to listen to me. She told me she wasn't going to stop until she was as strong as Gohan."

"What?" Gohan couldn't believe his ears. "Did Videl really say that?"

"Along those lines, yeah. I mean, it might not be word for word… that was like, two years ago or something. But she definitely mentioned you. She said she wanted to be strong like you, Gohan."

"Strong like him? No way! Gohan, you're stronger than Videl?" Sharpner asked with skepticism.

"U-um… I, uh, I don't know, heh. I mean, that was a long time ago. I know some martial arts, but…" Gohan attempted to mask his true powers.

"I don't believe it. And here I thought you were just full of brain power, not… power!" Sharpner scratched his head.

"Didn't you hear? Gohan fought in the junior division tournament with Videl a couple years back. I didn't see him fight, but she told me he got second place!"

As the two blondes chatted, Gohan drifted into his own world. _'Videl said that? That's impossible! She told me she never wanted to see me again. She was pissed! There's no way she could have said that after she found out I lied to her.'_

"Oh, speak of the devil, here comes Videl," Erasa pointed straight ahead.

On edge, Gohan sprung his head up and hesitantly turned around to see. The pigtailed girl was walking right over to them. Quickly, he turned his head back to face his two new friends and felt his body go rigid. He could hardly breathe when he noticed Videl plopped herself in the seat across from him.

"Hey, Videl. Where did you run off to?" Erasa casually asked.

"I was at the gym."

"As always," Sharpner gave her a quick smirk.

Videl smiled back, "Yeah. Now I'm starved. Gohan, did you eat yet?" She pointed at the empty spot on the table in front of him.

"Oh, u-um, n-no, I haven't," he stammered, not expecting her to speak to him, let alone look at him. Her question even caused Erasa and Sharpner to stop eating and glance up at her.

"Aren't you hungry? I could eat a whole cow right now!" she joked. Videl then stood up from her seat. "I'm gonna grab some chow. You should eat something too, Gohan."

Mind blown, the half-Saiyan watched Videl walk off to get food.

"Hey, see? Videl's not mad at you! I knew it," Erasa gleefully exclaimed. "You should go get lunch with her, Gohan! C'mon, what are you waiting for? Shoo!" She flicked her wrist, waving him towards Videl.

"Wh-what? Uh, well…. OK…" Hesitantly, Gohan stood up from his seat and walked towards the pigtailed girl.

Gulping, he thought to himself, _'Oh man. What am I supposed to say to her? Is she still mad at me? I can't tell.'_

As he approached Videl's side, she pointed at the array of food and asked, "What are you going to eat? The udon noodles are pretty good here. Oh, they even have ribs today! My favorite!" Quickly, she reached for one of the tongs and scooped up a plate full of barbecued ribs. "Here, try some of these, they're great!" She then plopped a few ribs onto Gohan's plate.

"O-oh, thanks," he quietly replied. "U-um, Videl –"

"Wow, they got everything today!" the pigtailed girl exclaimed as she piled more food onto her plate.

"Videl," the boy lowered his voice, "are you still mad at me?"

Videl stopped her hand from reaching for the fried tempura. Slowly, she loosened her grip on the tongs and placed them back down on the serving tray.

While facing away from Gohan, she quietly answered, "No, Gohan. I'm not mad at you."

"R-really?" he asked, surprised.

Videl paused for a moment. She then replied with a smile on her face, "Let's go sit and eat." And walked back towards Erasa and Sharpner.

"O-OK," Gohan quickly piled more food onto his plate and followed.

'_Wow, does she forgive me? I really hope so. She says she's not mad at me, so she must, right?'_ Gohan couldn't help smiling in relief.

"So, Gohan," Sharpner began as the half-Saiyan seated himself at the table, "Are you gonna join any clubs?"

"Clubs?"

"Yeah. Like I told you, I'm the captain of the boxing club. I mean, now that I know you're not a stranger to martial arts, why not join?" he offered.

"How did you know he knows martial arts, Sharpner?" Videl asked.

"Erasa told me that –" Before Sharpner could finish, the accused blonde quickly kicked him in the shin. "Augh! What the hell! Owww!" He grabbed for his shin and began to rub it.

"Sharpner was **about** to say that I told him that Gohan told me, is all!" Erasa countered.

"Oh," Videl replied. She then looked up, giving the half-Saiyan a glance. "Gohan's really strong, you know."

'_Uh-oh,'_ the boy began to freak out. _'I never really thought about it, but now that I am… oh shit! Videl knows about some of my powers!'_

Gohan began to reminisce back to the fight he had with Vegeta at the tournament. He was disguised as Nos back then, but now that Videl knew he and Nos are the same person… well, that meant every punch and kick Nos delivered at lightning speed against Vegeta was actually him! Gohan thought hard. He tried to remember every move he made during that match. He remembered delivering a blow hard enough that caused Vegeta to plummet deep into the ring. He could also remember flying for a brief amount of time during that fight. Gohan could feel his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. He could only pray that Videl didn't remember any of that, or at least hope that she wouldn't mention it in front of Erasa and Sharpner.

"Remember how I told you he fought in the tournament with me two years ago?" Videl reminded Erasa, "Gohan won second place. He's no push over."

As the three continued to converse, Gohan's mind started running. _'Wow, it almost seems as if Videl is praising me… This is too bizarre!'_

Erasa eventually took over the conversation, and Videl leaned back in her seat. She glanced over at Gohan and noticed his uneasiness. Slowly, her eyes narrowed menacingly as she stared at the boy.

'_Two can play your game, Gohan.'_

* * *

End, chapter 2.

A/N: Oh no! What's up your sleeve, Videl? ;)

If Videl seems really confusing right now, I'm sorry! Everything will be clear in the next chapter. (No time for revision)

Readers, thank you sooo so much for being patient with me! It's been real tough lately because I've been busy as hell. And now I'm moving into a new apartment so it's been even more hectic. I'm so glad I managed to **finally** finish this chapter, though (it took foooooreeeeverrrrr). I really hope you guys enjoyed reading, and I **really** hope I'll have the time to update the next chapter quickly! I will try my best. :)

Comments, criticisms, suggestions, etc. You know the drill! And I'm thrilled to see so many reviews for the first chapter! Made me feel wicked bad it took me so long to update. I hope I didn't disappoint with this update! :/


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